The most unexpected finding from the munchies study? 🥩
Beef jerky was the #1 food choice among intoxicated participants.
Not chocolate. Not chips. Not Rice Krispies treats.
‘I don’t understand,’ said lead researcher Carrie Cuttler.
Science is full of surprises. 😄
#MunchiesStudy #WSU #FunScience
Overview
WSU’s official press release on the PNAS munchies study. Prof. Carrie Cuttler (THC Lab director) and Prof. Ryan McLaughlin led the human arm; Calgary’s Matthew Hill and Catherine Hume ran parallel rat studies. The 82-person trial found cannabis vapor increased food consumption regardless of BMI, time since last meal, sex, or dose. Unexpected finding: beef jerky was the top food choice among intoxicated participants. Rat studies confirmed satiated animals immediately resumed food-seeking behavior when re-exposed to cannabis. The team aims to develop appetite-stimulating treatments for HIV/AIDS and chemotherapy patients.
“The most charming detail? 🥩
Beef jerky was the #1 food choice.
‘I don’t understand,’ said lead researcher Cuttler.
But behind the fun fact: life-saving appetite therapies for cancer, HIV/AIDS. Science is serious—and sometimes delicious. #FunScience #WSU”
Clinical Perspective
WSU’S MUNCHIES RESEARCH: THE INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Led by Prof. Cuttler (THC Lab) and Prof. McLaughlin, with Calgary’s Hill and Hume. This multi-institution, multi-species design is rare in cannabis research—and exactly what regulators demand.
The 82 Pullman volunteers used whole-plant vapor. Beef jerky was the surprise top food choice. But the serious finding: brain-mediation of appetite opens the door to drugs that leverage the hypothalamic CB1 mechanism without intoxication. This is what cannabis research looks like with proper institutional support.
Have thoughts on this? Share it: